A Viking Funeral
by Bethy104
Summary: What if, instead of sending V off on the train for his "Viking Funeral", Evey thought of a better way? This is the story on how maybe, just maybe not sending him off on the train may have lead to a pleasant discovery. V lives, what else? V/Evey First time writing a fanfic, quite proud of it so far... This story is a mixture of both comic verse and movie- but no one should get lost.
1. A Viking Funeral

**A/N- OKAY- so this is my first fanfic! I've been reading on this site for about four years and I finally decided to go ahead and give it a go! If you really wanna know more about me and my boringness- go ahead and check out my profile. **

**By the By- this fic is pretty mucy Comic verse, but all those movie lovers- no worries, I'm using a fair bit of the movie verse in this too, you won't be lost :D **

*****PLEASE READ*** I'm using the death scene from the comic and in that scene, V asks Evey to give him a Viking Funeral- this is important! However, for those comic fans, I'm rearranging the order of things. She gets' V's body ready BEFORE she goes out and does her little speech and fumbles over who V is.**

**And of course- it's a V lives fic- what else?**

He was dead.

V was dead.

She couldn't save him...

Evey was numb.

"_...Give me a Viking Funeral..."_

Arms weak with sorrow, Evey held his still very warm body closer; Eyes unblinking, she gazed at his Guy Fawks personage, silently praying for him to speak again. She still needed him to tell her how, make her understand...but most of all she needed _him. _

"_The Victoria line is blocked..."_

Gripping tightly she lowered her face to his ever smiling...mocking visage.

"_...a Viking Funeral..."_

Taking in a sobbing, unsteady breath, Evey finally lowered his body down off of her lap. With strange curiosity she touched the blood staining her shirt and pants. This was him. She was covered in his essence...his life. Morbidly, she brought her fingers up to her bright blue eyes. Staring at them she brought them closer, and kissed the bloody mark. She could never kiss his lips...but she could at least kiss _him. _Slowly, Evey gripped her hand so tightly, small crescent shaped cuts began to appear in her palm. One...two drops of her blood dropped, spotting the mask.

She would keep these clothes. Always.

Viking funerals...she had read about them once but she didn't know what to do...The train? Had he wanted to be sent off in the train- the explosives his fire? _'Yes,' _she thought, for what else could he want- what better way to leave the world? With every intention to put V on the train- sending him off in his final blaze, she moved with purpose towards the medical supplies room he had shown her near the beginning of her stay.

* * *

Stopping in front of the white door- the only completely pure, sickly looking white door in the building- Evey couldn't help but remember her first visit here. _"Heaven forbid my dearest Evey- but if you should _ever _come to harm and I am unable to help you myself- everything you would ever need is here..." _Touching the door she smiled, remembering a quote he often used fondly, and repeated it sadly as she clicked it open, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans..."

He was right of course- in both aspects.

Taking a step into the room, she let out a whoosh of air. Everything she could ever need was here. Bandages, ointments, strange herbal concoctions, manuals on various levels of understanding, gaze, plaster, bowls...and a stretcher. Looking around the sterile, bland room, Evey tried to avoid looking at the bright orange piece of equipment sitting in the corner. However, it was nearly the 5th...and she couldn't disappoint him...couldn't betray him again. Thus, the angry woman, filled with greif, filled with self-loathing and blame strode forward and yanked the item off the wall. Closing her eyes tightly she let her knuckles turn white and tried to squeeze the tears into submission as her forehead slowly fell to rest on the vertical thin pale mattress.

"Oh V..." she choked out.

Turning after a allowing a few seconds of weakness, Evey placed the item on the floor and lifted it so she could push it along easily. Intent on making it out the door without glancing at a single item, she suddenly stopped. Sitting on a shelf, all by itself was a book in bright red letters titled "VIKING FUNERALS".

"Bastard...you knew..." there was disbelief in her words as she spoke, but then, with renewed energy and fire blazing in her watery eyes she cried out, "YOU KNEW!"

Unable to hold in her pain, and needing to take it out _somehow, _Evey shouted at the book, blaming it for V's murder- hating it for existing- and then- just as she was about to knock the horrid literature out of existence- she stopped. Inches from the book, Evey's hand trembled, but instead of knocking it, her eyes softened as she picked it up gingerly and carried it out with her- pulling the squeaking stretcher behind.

Glad for the noise being emitted by the blasted piece of machinery behind her, Evey went on auto. It was too quiet without him. There was no loving praise, or even calm correction. There was no TV set playing _The Count of Monte Cristo_, or blade striking the metal dummy in the next room. Worst of all though, there was no music and no firm arms holding her gently speaking the unspoken.

Shaking her head, Evey wiped those thoughts away. She couldn't waste any more time and she had been selfish enough. Therefore, when she reached V's body, she didn't looking loving at his face, and didn't think anymore of what could have been. Instead she lowered the stretcher, rolled V, as carefully as possible, onto it, and lifted it up again. He would get his funeral...it was the _least _ she could do.

* * *

Standing in front of the train Evey opened the book and read the intro. "There are four main ways a person may receive a 'Viking' Funeral," it read. The book went on to list them: Burial at Sea, Open Air Cremation, Scattering at Sea, and lastly Fireworks. The Open Air Cremation page seemed to have been flipped through and subtly marked for her inspection- as if his own word may not have been enough or she needed encouragement. However, instead of flipping there, Evey paused and then made a near violent b- line for page 38- Fireworks.

It wasn't going to be easy, but the book was... eerily helpful in explaining the process. V said he wanted a Viking Funeral, and although he may have left her an easy way to grant his wishes, she had a better idea. V wouldn't leave this world in a train. She would give him so much more than that. He would go out in _blaze _a _Blaze of Glory. _

Earring the top corner- a peeve of V's she hopped he could forgive her for- Evey hurriedly placed the book in V's gloved hands and pushed the man back to his domain. She would give him something more- not something he had set up for her convenience , but something she had put together. It would be something _she _could do for him without him walking her through ever step. Thus, with the idea firmly placed in her head, Evey pushed the stretcher into his room. It had felt right and private... and V deserved that if nothing else at the moment. Glancing at the clock, she frowned, but moved to stand in front of the still body.

Bending down slowly, Evey kissed the cold metal lips with a whispered, "I love you V... I always will and I promise...I'll make you proud...and I'll give you the best funeral- Viking Funeral- possible."

Reaching out a hand towards the mask, Evey thought hard. _'He said I had to know who was behind the mask...'_

Grasping the side firmly in her hand, Evey let a single tear drop, letting it land on V's cheek. _'How can I ever do it? He said I couldn't see his real face! But...how can I know "who's face lies behind the mask"?'_

Going over several different scenarios in her mind, Evey saw countless faces. None of them worked. None of them were V. Passingly she almost thought it was her father again, but quickly shook that idea out. V couldn't be her father- her father was dead... And her father didn't love her like V loved her... and she didn't love V like her father. No this man wasn't her father...and she didn't want him to be- never again... But then who was V?

Taking her eyes off the masked man for a moment, Evey allowed herself to look at V's room. She had tried not to invade his space, for he loved his privacy, but now it seemed like she had to. She saw books- hundreds of them, a bed with soft plush gray comforter, a night stand- normal things. However, too soon her eyes reached the mirror. Now she knew. Yes, she knew who V was.

Crossing the floor with a slight staggering limp from standing in place too long, Evey touched the extra wig on the stand with her finger tips, admiring the texture. Then, slowly she picked up the mask, looked into the mirror, and Smiled.

* * *

Staggering back into the Shadow Gallery, with a new air in her heart, Evey immediately ran to V's room. He had to know. She did it, the people were up and fighting for themselves. The train had gone off to Parliament (yes I used the Parliament destination simply because I felt it was a bit cooler and more symbolic.) Fighting for _each other. _ With each step, she shed a piece of cover, First the cloak, leaving it in the hall. Then the hat, which had flown off a few steps later. Each glove followed, and the boots she paused only for a second to discard. However, only when she reached his room did she remove her mask- his mask...V's mask. Without glancing at the figure, still on the stretcher, Evey placed the wig and mask on the stand. She had a feeling V would be needed again...and she could do that- if only for him.

She hadn't felt right being V in front of him- not yet. That's why she had disrobed so furiously because it still didn't feel _right_. Therefore, now that she was Evey- just Evey, she turned slowly to glance at his body- ready to say goodbye- and nearly fainted.

'_No, it's just a trick of the light...' _Yet, after taking a few steps forward, there could be no doupt, V's chest was _moving_... he was _Breathing!' _


	2. Bullets and Blankets Shocks and Scars

**A/N- Chapter 2! :D This one is a bit longer. For anyone curious I got the stretcher idea from the comics- if you haven't read them- they are fabulous! :D **

*****COMIC SPOILERS DIRECTLY BELOW AND IN STORY***** **

**It never really says how many times Finch shot V- but the illustration showed four blasts- so I went with four :)**

**Disclaimer- I don't own anything D: ...only my humble plot...**

Evey held her breath as she neared V's body- still unsure if she had really seen him breathe. Her lungs burned from lack of oxygen, but she refused to take a breath just yet... Somewhere in the back of her mind Evey knew she was being ridiculous...but another stronger part told her if she took a breath- V wouldn't.

Shaking, Evey raised a single hand and let it hover over V's chest, not touching quite yet as she stared at his masked face, looking for any sign of movement or life. Eyes watering from lack of air, she thinned her lips. She had to see this through. Placing a hand on V's chest she waited. A second passed...then two..._five_... Nothing.

Eyes watering for a different reason, Evey's face started to screw as a tear dropped. Taking in a large breath, the broken woman let her face drop onto V's chest- right over his heart. One hand was still resting on his chest, the other moved to rub the unmoving, cold cheek in front of her.

"V...please V... I can't..." Evey whispered hopelessly as she turned her face to nuzzle his still warm chest.

Crying she gripped V's shirt tightly...and then- a groan,"Ev..."

Head shooting up, Evey stared at the V's masked face. "V? V did you?" There was no answer.

Frantically she laid her head back on V's chest, listening hard... THERE! A slight thready pulse, but she could hear it! Unable to say anything else, and knowing she had to act fast, Evey sped off to the med room to grab anything she thought might help.

* * *

V had planned to die. He was the destroyer and now it was time. Time for Evey- the second face- the creator- to take over. It was time for a new V. With his vendetta over, the masked vigilante was prepared for whatever fate God bestowed upon his horrid soul.

He knew he wasn't meant for heaven. There had always been something hellishly wrong about him- both mentally and physically- for as long as he could remember. Granted he couldn't remember his time before...the room, but he certainly couldn't have been decent enough to have been saved before his more recent occupational sins.. Thus, with heaven out of the picture... he was prepared for the pain he felt, the fire in his head and for whatever devil decided to delve into his dubiously damned and decrepit soul... However, he was most certainly _not_ prepared to feel a soft weight upon his chest, crying out for him...begging him. Indeed. , He was _not _prepared to hear his name being called out by the most familiar voice.

"Ev...?" Pain racked his chest. While pain he knew was fatally characteristic of Hell...He was definitely _not_ in Hell... not on a train...and most assuredly not _dead_... he was on a mattress. Damn.

It took him several moments, but after battling against his nausea, V finally became semi-lucid. Peeling his eyes open, and taking as deep a breath that his punctured chest would allow, V lulled his head to the side. Then saw he was alone...in his room. Maybe he _was_ in hell? Perhaps the devil was going to torture his heart with his sweet Eve's voice and taunted him with his own slice of secluded heaven before he took him into the fire. However, V never got to explore the idea farther because after a failed attempt to sit up not a minute later, the pain in his chest became too overwhelming. Letting out a strangled half-sob choke, he let the sweet allure of darkness creep up and take him away.

Eyes slowly closing he whispered out one last plea, "Evey..."

* * *

Rushing back into V's room, now armed with a large white bowl filled with varying sized bandages, medical tape, disinfectants, and a couple first aid books, Evey's gasped when she saw V's head lulled and his arms slumped slightly to the side. It was as if he had tried to move while she was gone.

'_Stupid man,' _she thought as sherushed over to his side. Once there she paused and sighed as she realized she would need to get him off the stretcher and out of those clothes if she was going to do anything productive.

Knowing she didn't have time to wonder if V could ever forgive her, Evey set her bowl of supplies on the night stand and got to work. First, she immediately took out morphine and a syringe, read the instructions on the side carefully, and gave V a full dose. Yes, he was unconscious, but she was about to bore into his chest with metal tweezers... It was always good to be safe.

Once that was finished, she removed his gloves- no big deal she had seen his hands once before without gloves her first day here, but seeing them up close... He must have suffered. Running a thumb up and down the scarred hand, Evey eventually shook her head- realizing she was wasting time- and got to work taking off his boots, socks and unclasping his cape as well. Then, once she was sure she had gotten every piece of clothing she could off- Evey pulled out a pair of long fabric scissors.

"Forgive me V," she mumbled softly.

Then she took the bottom of his ruined and blood soaked shirt in her she snipped the shirt off- closing her eyes- trying to make it fast. Taking a calming breath Evey opened her eyes... and was surprised to find a heavy metal plate!

"Wha-?"

Eyes widening Evey sent up a praise to God as she quickly plucked out a bullet that had just slightly punctured the skin under the protective layer off the top of V's armor. Pulling the sheet of metal up she smiled for a brief second- realizing he had used the piece of armor from his fencing partner...

After removing the metal and counting only three more unaccounted for bullets, Evey let out a sigh of relief. While she wasn't one hundred percent sure there were only four bullets in total- V's legs seemed to have been fine, and she could see no trace of any bullets in his arms or extremities...It added up just right. Cutting away the sleeves and tossing the blood sodden material onto a plastic bag, Eve turned back to V- trying not to look at his body... and failing. He was burned nearly everywhere... badly. While the right side of him could _almost_ pass normal, it wasn't quite right. There was a discoloration and slight wrinkling that worsened to the same degree as the left as it traveled down to his arm to right hand. The left side... the left side was horribly scarred. It looked like he had butted himself up against a wall and had taken the blunt of the fire on the left side- and perhaps used his right arm to cover himself further?

Touching V's body, Evey started to breathe heavily. No she didn't pity him. No she wasn't disgusted.. She was _enraged. _ How _dare _**anyone **even _think _about doing something like this to V. _Her _V. Angry hot tears streamed down her face. Subconsciously, her hand started to put pressure on his chest as she clenched her muscles. Oh they would pay for this...

"Uuhgph..."

Pulling her hand away as if burned- Evey looked guiltily toward's V's face. She wanted so badly to be angry, but now was not the time. She would only end up making things worse if she continued to lose control of her emotion like this...

Shaking her head, Evey took on tunnel vision- trying not to invade any more than she already had to. Taking a deep breath she tried to stay calm... She tried to remember how she had felt when she believed she was going to be executed... In control. Taking in a deep breath and steeling herself- Evey began again. V would live.

Frantically dumping the rest of her supplies on the bed- Evey went to the adjacent bathroom and filled it with hot water and sterilizers and sat the bowl on the side table. Grabbing a rag, she carefully wiped away the blood- trying to find the bullet holes. One swipe of the rag- luckily- removed a very shallow bullet from his left pectoral, leaving only two- that she knew of- still lodged in his body.

After cleaning out the wounds and adding pressure to stop the bleeding (as the book had instructed) and pulling V forward to wrap the compress around his chest woulds, that had been fairly close together(thank God for that first aid book!), Evey continued looking for the last remaining bullets. Another five minutes of wiping away blood and searching, she found them- right beside each other. Not even thinking about what she was doing, Evey used a bit of V's own blood to circle where the punctures were so as to not lose them. Then- reading the instructions for the tenth time, Evey used one trembling hand to grab a thin long pair of tweezers to gently ease into the wound, as her other one felt around the puncture for the bullet. Taking a deep breath, Evey nearly passed out as V jerked hard and let out a gurgled moan.

Startled, Evey unintentionally pressed the tweezers farther into the wound...only to hit something hard and metallic. Shaking with a sweating brow, she slowly eased the tool farther in, opening the instrument as wide as it would go to fit around the projectile. Gripping it firmly, Evey looked over to where she had several thick stacks of gauze waiting to compress on the wound...and pulled the bullet out with a sturdy slow grip.

Tossing the bullet haphazardly in the general direction of the bedside stand, Evey pushed back into the same wound- only an inch to the left and prayed. While she now knew V's breathing had been initially impossible to see because of the convexed armor, there was a growing dread that was building in her chest. V was hardly breathing. Soft shallow gasps were all he could manage at the moment. Focusing all her attention, Evey went in an inch...then two... just as she was about to reach three inches, she felt something. Trying her hardest not to cause more trouble than help- she gripped the object and started pulling.

"UHh" V moaned in protest to her attentions.

"Shhh, It's alright V..."

Another quick two inches had the mashed pulled out of V and slung onto the floor. She hadn't even tried to aim where it landed. Evey grabbed a couple compresses. Pressing down steadily on the fresh- fairly deep (two inches) wound caused V to moan unconsciously.

However, he quieted down after a few soft words from her, "Shhh love shhhh. It's alright- I've got you now...I've got you."

She was right, it took two compresses until the bleeding had stopped enough for her to bandage him. However, unlike the others that had been fairly easy to wrap, because they were higher up, these last shots had been astray. Just under- or she _hoped_ it was just under- V's lung was were the wound had been taken. She would need to drape V over her own body if she wanted to do it properly. Shaking her head, Evey realized he was still very much on the stretcher and, while it looked steady, she didn't want to risk collapsing and killing V by leaving him there as she moved him about. Therefore, Evey then commenced to pushing the stretcher as close to V's moderately high bed as she could. Then, moving to kneel on the bed itself, she slowly began lifting V's lower half- glad she had not needed to remove his pants- onto the mattress. Although he would be slightly askew on the bed, at least he would be somewhere he could truly rest.

Next was the tricky part. Grabbing the bandages to have them close, Evey put her arms under V's and, as gently as possible, lifted him until he was over his bed and in a semblance of an embrace with her. Hurriedly she pressed back down on his compress and took the gauze in the other hand. It took some skilled and very unique maneuvering, but ten minutes later, V's wounds were dressed. Popping her knees to the side of V's body, Evey breathed heavily and laid back against the pillows for just a moment- letting her legs straighten and V's body rest against her chest and shoulder.

She was exhausted.

V was alive...

_Alive. _

Letting a few tears slip out, Evey gently stroked the firm chest resting atop her...only to realize how cold V was. Cursing, she gently extracted herself from under V and, as if to affirm her observation, the injured man fell victim of a horrible shuttering shiver.

"Shock..."

The book has mentioned shock, but he hadn't shows any signs until now. Frantically, Eve searched the room, paying no mind to the various books and projects strung throughout, looking for as many blankets she could find. Just as she was about to cover him with said blankets, Evey paused and laid them instead at the foot of his bed. His chest was still naked, and while it did not bother her- more than just unsettle her a bit- she knew he would already be angry with her for seeing him _at all. _Pulling open the drawers she assumed to have clothes in them- Evey sighed in utter relief to find the first drawer contained several flowing shirts. Nearly all but one or two were black. However, instead of choosing these usual ones, Evey picked a midnight blue colored one- not because it was colored- but simply because it looked to be bigger than the rest.

Moving back towards V, she picked him up again, this time laying his lulled head on her shoulder as she slipped each of his arms into the sleeves.

"Ev..."

Hugging the man to her carefully, Evey whispered into his ear softly- wanting him to stay unconscious for now until he healed up some...He was going to be in a damnable amount of pain once he was fully lucid. Making sure to button the shirt up all the way when she laid him down, Eve then tucked each blanket around him tightly before rushing to the TV room. Grabbing the Afghan from the couch, she sped off towards her own room to collect the blankets there as well.

Once back in V's domain, Evey laid each blanket carefully over his bruised and healing body. He was still shaking slightly, but he was not wracked with shakes as before. Methodically, Evey scooped the forgotten medical supplies from the floor- where she had cast them to make room for V. Placing them on the stretcher, she began to clean up. She had to stay busy.

Thirty minutes later, after disposing of all the extra supplies and finally changing into some clean clothes- Evey sat down beside V. He's stable at the moment, and so she allowed herself to take a clearing breath. The morphine on the side table must be something V had mixed because the directions on the side explained t0- at top dosage- re-administer the injection every two to three hours. Blinking at the small print, the exhausted woman then glanced the clock... an hour and 45 minutes. He could have more in an hour and 45 minutes.

Unable to resist the soft lure of the bed in front of her, Evey sat in a chair she had borrowed from the kitchen and sat close to the bed. Sighing softly, the exhausted woman laid her head on the mattress- facing V.

"Pull through this V," she said softly as one hand reached out to stroke his cheek. "You have to..."

**A/N- thanks for the reviews guys :) I hope this chapter lives up to what you were expecting! The plot with thicken, by the way. While, yes, I am an unashamed ****fluffer and I don't plan on going into extreme detail, the revolution will be played out a bit more and there- of course- is the whole conflict about V's apparent suicide. Because come on- we all know that in the film- and _definitely _in the comic- V knows when and why and how he is going to die and does nothing to stop it. So it will go into that aspect as well :)**

**Thank you all, and please feel free to leave a little review... ;)**


	3. Awakening with Insidious Ideas

**A/N- I just wanted to take a second and thank you guys for reviewing :) It's really getting me in the mood for writing knowing people are actually reading it-haha. **

***IMPORTANT* Okay, I've mentioned multiple times that this is a cross between comic and movie and I thought it pretty important to mention I used the train scene from the movie :) That's all feel free to skip any other notes.**

V was very much awake...and very much quiet about that fact... at least on the outside. Inside? He was raging through several different wars all at once.

Part of him- a very large part- was enraged. How dare she? How _dare _she so selfishly keep him in _this _hell. He had been ready- prepared- expectant even of his death. Those months apart from her after he had left her out... He had _prepared _damn it! Didn't she _understand_ he had given her back to the world...No. He knew she hadn't understood when he had needed to bring her back. Then he had _tortured _her into understanding! Breath coming in gasps- remembering how disgusted he had been with himself after every interrogation...

'_NO!' _he though viciously. Now was not the time to feel sorry for her- to feel again. He had tried so damn hard to give her up- to purge himself of his feelings...

This is where the next war began. A smaller part- yet equally compelling- whispered sweet promises of death. He had only to reach over and grab the waiting bottle of morphine and every trouble and worry he had would be over. Better yet- she would think he merely hadn't survived his injuries... His body wouldn't be able to process it if he took it all at once. His liver- he could feel it- was bruised badly. It likely wasn't ruptured, for he would have bled out hours ago, but it was swollen enough to let him _easily _take just enough to simply...go to sleep. If he played it right he could even 'accidentally' knock over the then empty bottle and syringe after taking it.

'_It would be painless- and easier than going to sleep...' _That particularly morbid part of his mind commented. It was that same hellish voice that allowed him to kill others as if they were insects. It was the same voice that had convinced him of his suicide mission in the first place.

Then- there was the largest part of his internal conflict. Bigger than his suicidal whisper, and greater than his anger- was pure and unadulterated confusion.

'_Why, Evey...dear sweet girl why would you save _me?'

Indeed anarchy wore two faces- creator and destroyer- and he was supposed to be destroyed along with the world he had helped shape. He was a destroyer...Evey was a creator. It just didn't make _sense. _ There was something wrong in him- Evey had said it herself- he was a monster. Like a monster- he needed to be eradicated from the world like so many others he had already taken care of. He was the final monster to be rid of- the explosion in the great heat of battle... He had only asked for one wish- a viking funeral...and she denied him even that.

This turn of thought made V pause in his battle. It was as if this thought was a martyr itself- a martyr of revolution. Stepping out modestly, the little voice cocked it's head as if in great concentration, before stepping up on it's little soap box. '_Perhaps,' _the little voice comforted in a quietly booming voice, _'If it _is _her choice as creator-' _the thought paused again and then swelled as it picked up momentum, '_and she _chose_ to keep you- then you belong in this world after all.' _

V had not had this kind of complete mental re-evaluation in a long time. It had been *five years to be exact- the moment he had woken from his victim state at Larkhill. When he had become V.

Breathing hard, he tried to wrap his head around the thought. Did he belong? How could he? He started to think- '_Evey took her place and she is creator. _Do_ I belong?' _

In panic, feeling very claustrophobic, V tried to sit up- desperate for air. That part of him that told him he belonged also whispered calmly that he was going to fall into shock again and that he needed to stop if he was going to live. However, he paid no mind to that voice now. All he could think of was getting away from the idea that so threateningly spoke sweet nothings about life and future. Future to what- love?...Love- _Evey!_

For the first time, V realized Evey was in the room. More than in the room- she was dozed off in a chair he recognized to be from the kitchen mere inches from him. Reeling backwards away from her- he realized his mistake too late. Gasping out and letting one hand fly to his chest, the wounded, confused man came upon a new discovery. His hands were naked... so are his feet...and he is wearing a shirt. _The _shirt. Furthermore, his wounds were very much already taken care of and wrapped very thoroughly.

"Oh God..." V's hand immediately flew to his face.

But no...no the mask was still there. He was out of control- his emotions had never been this askew before. She had seen him- likely _all _of him. Betrayal so great filled his heart, V had to take calming breaths to stop himself from reaching over and plunging the morphine syringe into his awaiting pulse point.

'_In...out...In...and out.' _

It was too soon; however, that his breath became more labored- and turned to hyperventilating. He was breaking...breaking... No who was he kidding? He was _broken._

* * *

Although she had originally had ever intention of staying awake until V woke, Evey had dozed off. She hadn't slept since the night before and the shock of V dying, living, and patching him up had exhausted her. Therefore, when she heard a strangled exclamation and then heavy breathing, Eve was a bit disoriented. Blearily, she opened her eyes and then sat up strait up against her aching and protesting back and joints. V was laboriously breathing, staring at his hands, hunched over and surly tearing apart her careful binding.

With sleep still thick in her throat Evey spoke, "V? Oh Lord, V it's okay."

Moving closer to him Evey took his hand in hers and glanced up at the clock- damn she was thirty minutes late on his dose of morphine. No wonder he was struggling! His chest had to be on fire and she _knew _he had sever bruising as well. _'Damn it'_, she thought, _'Now he must hate me...'_

Actually, she knew he hated her after what she'd done to help him... However, she pushed those thoughts aside and quietly exclaimed,"I'm sorry V, I'm so sorry! Damn it I shouldn't have fallen asleep."

V, however, seemed to be oblivious to her words and administrations. He merely sat there dazed as Evey carefully measured out the right dosage and pushed up his right sleeve nearly to his shoulder. He seemed totally out and she would have thought him unconscious again, had it not been for his still achingly fast breathing. Thinking he was simply in too much pain, Evey cursed herself again and put a hand on his arm to steady it- she needed to carefully insert the needle in his upper arm muscle to do this properly.

As soon as she touched his upper arm, skin to skin, V made to move away, but she stopped him with a careful squeeze and a soft whisper of comfort.

"Shhh, don't move now- I need you steady." Continuing to speak soft nothings to him, Evey finished giving him the injection. Pausing for a moment she smoothed her finger over the small drop of morphine that was left on his arm. Then, rolling down his sleeve and pulling the blankets up higher, she tried her hardest not to cry in front of him. She had been using the latest dose listed on the hand written instruction because she wasn't sure how his body would react. However, she had still been late and failed him...again.

Voice thick with tears, she smiled and softly said, "Feel better V? I-I'm-"

He cut her off with a calm methodical- near nonchalant question, "Did you look?"

Scrunching her brow, Evey tried to understand what he meant._ 'Look? Look at what? Oh-Well yeah to change his bandages._' She was about to say as much when V spoke again.

"Did. You. Look?" He punctuated each word with his weak unclear voice as he started to shake. He didn't speak unkindly but the force behind his words made it all too clear for Evey what he meant this time.

"Oh- No! No V I promise..." Taking his hand she tried to smile at him. She had known he would be angry and she was prepared to take it. "I _swear_- I only looked where your wounds were," squeezing his hand a few tears dropped from her eyes, "and because I _had _to. I...please V."

* * *

The panic suddenly seemed to melt out of his prone body. She hadn't looked- hadn't seen just how true of a monster he was. Relaxing into the soft blankets he watched her for a moment. His heart was aching. He had wanted so badly to see her again, and truth be told he still wasn't honestly certain he was actually alive. Therefore, when she smiled at him through tearful eyes and then lifted his burned scared hand to her lips, he was stunned. As soon as her lips touched his flesh he jerked back as if being burned all over again. How could see stand to even touch him- let alone...

Stopping him she held his gaze steadily- however one sided it might appear and spoke louder than she in hours, "Please...please V, don't pull away from me... I just got you back."

Those words. Words. He had always been so eloquent with them. He had always been an expert and connoisseur of speech- language. But her words never ceased to amaze and confound him. Why didn't he understand them- trust her? Shaking from the sheer amount of emotion flooding his mind, V tries to speak, but found his voice gruff and too thick with tears to utter anything more than a choke.

Seeing him shake frightened her. Was he still in shock? Was he cold? Running a hand over his comfortingly, she voiced her concerns, "I'll get you something to drink V, and another blanket- just hold on for a moment.

V's perplexed by the sudden introduction of her voice to his silent stewing and thus was unable to stop her and reassure her he's fine before she had already left to fetch him something else. She hadn't stopped. Not comforting him, reassuring him, touching him (how he still didn't know) moving, speaking. Why? Why wasn't she acting like Evey? Evey would have already exclaimed on the difficulty and how she needed his help for one aspect or another. Maybe she truly didn't need him. Obviously she was doing just fine without him and he- he was alive because of her!

This couldn't continue. She needed to move on- to continue the revolution. Eyes widening behind the mask- V realized he didn't even know if she showed up for his midnight appearance. Didn't know if she sent his train off or did _anything _he asked of her... She obviously didn't follow his direction on his funeral... _'_

_No matter,' _he though, _' My time...is up either way. I am no longer the V and she must realize that. She must continue or my carful destruction will be nothing but child's play!' _

Somewhere that annoying little voice was calmly speaking about life again- telling him what to do- but he deafened it with the stronger voice of distrust. Just at that moment Evey strode back into the room carrying a blanket he recognized as one he usually used to drape over the chair that sat by the piano. She must be desperate for blankets...and he must be buried under every blanket in the whole gallery by now. He honestly couldn't complain about that one though. It _was _November and he had lost blood...a lot of it.

Shaking those thoughts out the forefront of his mind V also realized she had held true on getting him a glass of water- but how was he to drink it. Was this some sort of joke? Some sort of trickery to see his face? It had to be- she had seen ever other inch of his body, but he would keep his face- that inch- to himself.

Evey moved to drape the blanket over his growing stack after depositing the glass on the side table, but he stopped her with a gruff yet still hard, "I do not require assistance, Evey."

She had the nerve to look disbelieving! Then she _raised_ an accusing eyebrow at him. "Really?" her voice wasn't as much angry as matter of fact, "Because if I remember correctly I finished patching you up and pulling two bullets out of your chest not five hours ago."

Flinching V absently touched his chest. Yes they had been deep as well... Before V could say anything in response- Evey pulled out a straw from her back pocket and sat heavily in the chair at his side. Placing the straw in his glass, she held it in place and offered it to him.

"I'm not leaving you...I just got you back." As she spoke she moved to help him forward a bit, but V still refused to believe it- or her. Taking the glass from her with weak arms, the man tried to hold it steady to prove his point... and nearly spilled the whole glass all over himself had it not been for Evey's stubborn hands supporting it at the base. Lifting the glass, she carefully maneuvered the straw into his Guy Fawkes mouth's slit.

The water on his throat felt like heaven. He was sure this water was liquid clarity as he sipped the cold liquid selfishly. While he drank deeply she never said, "I told you so," or said anything for that matter. She just let him have a moment... All too soon, however, Evey was pulling the glass away.

"Whoa V," she admonished softly, "Can't have you over doing it, yeah?"

Smiling, she took the glass away and grabbed his hand again. Just holding it. She wasn't prying or speaking. It was so strange to V- to be so vulnerable and yet so...dare he say it? Safe? Looking closer at the woman, V cocked his head slightly. It was an old habit he had gathered to show emotion to the few he chose to reveal himself to. It made him feel almost..human again.

Her eyes were blood red, and there were dark circles forming under her eyes as well. She was exhausted... '_Because of you,' _that annoying little voice spoke unassumingly.

'_Because of me...'_

* * *

Evey couldn't stand this. He was observing her, accusing her, she jut knew it. Worse yet she couldn't blame him, not really. She was so useless...she didn't even know what the blood hell was wrong with him! Yeah she had pulled bullets out of his chest- that had to have done some damage, but what? Letting a few tears drop silently- unable to halt them- she quickly swiped them away and smiled. She has to look strong.

Sniffing she blinked rapidly a few times and tried to sound light hearted. She gave a short laugh before apologizing for her tears, "Sorry."

Damn it she was so weak.

* * *

Heart lurching at the sight of her tears V felt miserable. Had he really thought of killing himself? Had he honestly wanted to cause his sweet Eve even more pain? Did he belong in this world? No, probably not. He didn't deserve to live at all, but if Evey- his Evey- had kept him around, then perhaps that little voice had been right. Maybe he _was_ supposed to be here. He needed to be here for _her_ alone if nothing else.

Needing to do something- he couldn't just sit there and watch her cry- V tugged on her hand that was still resting over his scared one. The grip was still weaker than his normal capasity, but he was already healing and it was strong enough to make her move forward.

Confused, Evey let herself be moved forward but stopped when she couldn't go farther without getting on the bed, "V? What are you-"

He cut her off, "Shhh," his voice was calm and clear now. This he could do- being strong for her. "Come here Evey."

Pulling her forward onto the mattress, V sent a silent praise to that decision so many years ago to put in that vainly spacious king size bed. Laying the distraught woman down at his side, he was careful to keep her off of his wounds. Then V wrapped an arm around her now shaking shoulders.

"Hush Evey...I'm here now...I won't leave you again."

This confession caused her to let out a choked sob as she moved closer to him. Her short hair was tickling up under his chin as she turned her face into his shoulder. He was in heaven. Rubbing her back softly he shushed her, whispering soft snippets of poetry to her. Often his lines didn't finish the poem and one would inevitably run into another. Neither minded much as V shifted from Dickinson to Blake, and soon Evey's soft sobs were replaced with quiet snores.

Tucking the drained girl's body closer to his, V felt a hand along his chest. Yes, there was some bad bruising in his liver that was going to cause the most damage, but other than that- his body was taking nice care of itself. Larkhill might have been hell, but this one perk was something he could set his life on. It was going to be a bumpy road ahead of them...especially if she hadn't followed through with the his revolution...but perhaps not quite as dismal as he had originally thought.

Just as that thought entered his mind, Evey made a soft sleeping mew and curled closer. "No," he said softly aloud, "it might turn out much better than expected..."

**A/N- Thanks for reading everyone :D I try to keep my chapters coming pretty fast, but this one was hard to write... V's personality is difficult to pin point exactly and you'll have to tell me how I did :) Thanks all!**


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